A changed life: Douglas’ Story

When Douglas first came through St. Anthony’s Father Alfred Center recovery program, CSS Manager, Wayne Garnett wasn’t sure that he was right for Client Safety Services. “Douglas had this frown on his face. He was angry a lot,” Wayne remembers, “Prior to his graduation I hired him, and I did that as a favor, because I was alumni at Father Alfred Center, which taught me something about judging people by the way they look. I’ll never forget when Douglas said to me ‘Just give me a chance man—all I need is a real chance to show you that I can do this.’ And the moment he said that to me was the moment when I started to see a big change in Douglas. I depend on Douglas so much because Douglas reaches out to people. Douglas has this understanding of what these people are going through. I mean a lot of us have it, but his is just a little deeper. Things that he does are, to me, spiritual—there’s just something about him. From the first time I saw him to seeing him now I think to myself—how many opportunities have I missed on people just by judging them?” by judging them on the way they look?”

We spoke to Douglas about his experience working with the guests at St. Anthony’s. “I have learned to talk them through things when they are having a rough time” Douglas explained, “It diffuses the situation and it also builds more character in me. Instead of being violent, I’ve learned to show compassion for people and that ability is a blessing that I got from working here. I try to give people the incentive to keep pushing. They look at me and say ‘Man, you still doing good,’ and that helps me too. I say to them, ‘Hey, look at me, I used to be like you.’ They ask me how I’m able to stay clean. I tell them that I pray everyday and ask God to give me the courage to change my life. And so far so good—I love where I’m at today.

Coming here was a blessing for me. I’ve been able to give back. People see me and how my life has changed. I got an open door policy with everybody. I can talk to them about anything, I don’t have to feel ashamed about things if I’m having a hard time. They’ll see me not talking and say, “Doug what’s going on with you today?” the time that they take out with me has been a blessing. I got great people to talk to from the top to the bottom. That’s helped me a lot. I would say that St. Anthony’s saved my life. I’ll scream and shout that all over the world. I was able to get my own place, been able to live my life, responsible. All that. It’s been a blessing.”